Thursday, March 24, 2011 - Saint Not Savior, or "No Mo Co"

     It's time to burn Joan of Arc at the stake again. Saturday I wrote about a Facebook quiz I took called "Which Woman in History Are You?" My result was Joan of Arc and I knew it would be. It's not because I'm saintly or have a martyr complex but because I've struggled most of my life with a perfectionist complex and the driving urge to be everyone's go-to gal. I like to get things right and do things well. I enjoy connecting needs with resources, questions with answers, and problems with solutions. I love the satisfaction of accomplishing something demanding and big. I'd like to be Wonder Woman.
     Now go back to that first paragraph and compare the number of personal references in it with the number of references to God. Smacks of me, me, me and that's why Joan must be burned again and why Wonder Woman must be grounded. 

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, 
Who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20

      When John the Baptist's followers pointed out that the crowds were leaving to follow Jesus, John got this one right and responded, 

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30

These words roll easily off my tongue and I'd like to believe they're my heart's desire, but my actions seem to say I think Jesus has bitten off more than He can chew and needs my help. My lack of faith in His interest in and plan for people's lives leads me to act more like the brothers James and John who sought to increase WITH Jesus by sitting at His right or left hand. Wanting to  "help" in Jesus' Name is right as long as our "help" teaches them to depend on the One Who truly helps. "Doing good" is great when the good we do leads people to worship our Good God instead of to them depending on us to do more and more good. 

     As a minister's wife I've had a little trouble finding the balance between doing good for people and overdoing it so they look to me instead of to the One I serve. "Doers" and "fixers" like me struggle with trusting God enough to slip to the back of the stage or out of the picture completely, but any other way results in an unhealthy merry-go-round of co-dependence. Authentic trust that "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and has a plan for each individual's life leaves no room for co-dependence or savior complexes in His children. Relax, child of God, we're His children, not His clones. We're saints, not saviors. We can say "no" to co-dependence and we don't have to be wonderful. He designed the universe and the people in it which makes Him the go-to God for every situation. Strike the match; Joan's got to go.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

Inspired by Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest
graphic from photobucket.com